National retailers rely on their account representatives for effective management of inventory and sales throughout the retail stores in which their products are sold. For example, a mobile telecommunications company might sell mobile telephones at a variety of retail stores such as WAL-MART, K-MART, CIRCUIT CITY, BEST BUY, OFFICE DEPOT, and STAPLES throughout the nation. The company assigns account representatives (“AR”) to service the retail stores within a designated geographical area, ensuring that the retail stores within that area maintain the proper inventory and controlling the flow of information between the telecommunications company and the retail store. Examples of information collected by ARs and reported to the company includes, but is not limited to, store location, time and date of store visit, reason for the store visit, inventory quantities, sales information, quality control information, store personnel information, sales forecasting, and information regarding any identified problems or required follow-ups.
ARs utilize a variety of tools to collect and report information regarding the retail stores for which they are responsible. Much of the information is collected utilizing paper forms. This information is then typically typed into a database system for analysis and report generation. This method is very tedious, time consuming, and costly since the information is manually entered into the paper forms and then entered a second time into a computer system. Alternatively, some companies utilize electronic data entry. Data at the store location is entered into an electronic device developed specifically for this purpose. The device then uploads the data into the company's database when the AR returns from the field, or the device may transmit the information over a phone line directly to a company database or to a storage location where it is later input into the database.
There are many opportunities for improvement with these current data collection systems. First, many of the tools that ARs use to do their jobs correspond to a substantial business expense for the company. Paper forms are used in large quantities and may be very expensive, environmentally unfriendly, and largely ineffective for ensuring follow-up action is taken. Electronic devices used by some ARs to input inventory statistics and to order products for the retail stores are expensive to purchase and maintain, and they take up storage space when not in use. Additionally, present data collection systems require unnecessary information to be input or require information to be repeatedly input into the system. For every extra step that an AR must take to collect the applicable information from the retail store and to input the data into an appropriate database, time is lost, productivity decreases, and consequently, an opportunity for saving money is lost. Similarly, decreased productivity from the ARs due to time consuming information collection steps prohibits the company from servicing the retail stores with maximum speed and efficiency, which decreases customer satisfaction. Many forms used by ARs for tracking inventory and managing their assigned retail stores require the AR to input extraneous data and are difficult to navigate, creating additional steps for the ARs and decreasing productivity.
An unfortunate effect of the pressure on an AR to perform efficiently without the tools to do so is that some ARs may be tempted to input data for a retail store without actually visiting the store. When this occurs, inaccurate inventory and sales information is acted upon by the company, creating sales and customer relation problems. Moreover, there are times that an AR may visit a retail store, but will not spend an adequate amount of time at the store to satisfactorily perform his duties. A store manager might challenge the assertion that an AR actually visited a retail store or the time spent in a store. Without a definitive record of the visit that includes the amount of time that an AR spent at the retail store and that shows, without question that information was transmitted from the retail store at a certain time, it is difficult to prove that an AR visited a retail store and spent an appropriate amount of time at the store.
Being able to accurately track the movement of ARs, including where ARs go, when they arrive, and how long they stay, not only ensures that ARs are doing their jobs, but also allows for improved scheduling capabilities. With ARs often being responsible for a large number of retail stores, or a complicated visit schedule, it is extremely important to schedule visits in the most efficient manner possible. These challenges associated with monitoring the movements of ARs while increasing the efficiency of their data collection applies not only to the retail industry, but also to any industry where a representative travels between locations collecting information.
For example, fleet management personnel track vehicles and drivers, government agencies track employees such as social workers and child welfare workers to ensure home visits are being made, pharmaceutical representatives visit doctors' offices and pharmacies, law enforcement or parole officers visit persons subject to home arrest or other conditions of incarceration, and service personnel travel to residential and business locations to perform repair work. There are virtually endless scenarios in which it is helpful to effectively track personnel for monitoring and scheduling purposes while increasing the efficiency of the personnel collecting data.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is provided.